For My Flamingo Loving Sister

My sister  💕💕💕💕💕 flamingos.  She even takes a couple  of those plastic ones with her on vacations to stick out at her campsite.  On her birthday last year she received a pink bicycle that her friends had rigged up with a flamingo head at the handle bars and flamingo body on each side of the curve down from the handle bars. (I'm not describing it very well but it's hilarious especially with her on it with a flamingo hat on her head. )   So, I made her a couple of flamingo pillowcases for Christmas.   I'm not so sure my brother-in-law will enjoy laying his head on a flock of flamingos but he usually goes along with my sister's whims without complaint. 

And  these pillowcases were goal  #20 

for

Q4 Finish-A-Long 2016

I also embroidered a couple of flamingos on a flour sack dishtowel and crocheted a scrubbie and dishcloth to go with it. 

Now I can cross flamingo-lovin' Deb off my Christmas to-do list. 

QBB FQ Challenge

St. Louis 16 Patch

40 x 60

It's just a top for now.  I need to piece together some batting leftovers and find a backing and then I probably won't get it quilted until after the first of the year (along with the pile of other donation quilts). 

When finished the quilt will go to Quilts Beyond Borders. 

The quilt started with this FQ I received from a QBB Coordinator along with the label to be added.  The challenge was to make a quilt using this FQ and some of my scraps. 

The FQ was used in these blocks.  And the rest was from my scrap chunks. 

I moved a FQ forward into a quilt top so linking up today to 

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag


Edited January 1, 2017: Getting this finished will be my January 2017 OMG (One Monthly Goal)

Feather Bed Finally Finished!

Feather Bed

72 x 90

Hand quilted

A free quilt pattern from Anna Maria Horner

Here is a sideways view because lengthwise it dragged on the ground unless the wind was blowing and I couldn't get a very good picture. And here's a sideways view because I like looking at the finished quilt. 

I was looking for some different ways to use my long, bright colored string scraps and decided on this quilt.  (I also made a string star with them). 

I didn't know what to use for background fabric and then I found a this piece of cheddar feather fabric in my stash I had bought at Hancock's (no longer in business here) at one of those "Spot the Bolt" sales where the fabric was $3.97 per yard.  "Perfect", I said. But there wasn't enough of it.  "Darn", I said.   But after work the next day I stopped at Hancock's and they still had some of this feather fabric left on the sale table but it was a little more expensive but not expensive - like $5.00 per yard.  And so I bought all that I needed. "Yipee", I said.  "It was meant to be". 

I quilted all of the feathers with different colors of perle #8.  And that was all I was going to do but noticed there was a lot of room between the feathers that needed a little something. 

And so I hand quilted some....what else?....feathers! I used Coats and Clarks hand quilting thread in a color I had in my tin of threads that closely matches the tips of the feathers in the fabric. I was hesitant to try the feathers because I wasn't sure my hand stitches were small enough to even go around each little part of the feather I had stenciled in in mechanical pencil.  But I gave it a try, persevered (even when my hands were stiff  or shaky and eyes could not see well) and I'm glad I did because they turned out pretty darned good if I say so myself. And I had a good time doing it. I always have a nice, peaceful, relaxing time hand quilting.  (Pack up all my cares and woes...here I go...hand quilting, you know...) 

Well, I should name this quilt Feathers Galore because here is the backing...birds and feathers!!!  The places where I used the perle to hand quilt the feathers looks like little trees (well, to me they do) on the back and it looks like some of the birds are perched in the trees.  I have the same sort of story about this backing as I do about the background fabric only substitute JoAnn for Hancock and substitute "red dot clearance" for "spot the bolt".   This, too, was meant to be. 

It took months of Sundays to get this Slow Stitched so I'm linking up to

 Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

And I definitely used scraps so I'm linking up to 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Oh, and this was my goal #1

for

2016 Finish-A-Long Q4

Goals rock!! 

A Flimsy of Spools

 Spools

81 x 87

783 - 3 inch spools

Right now it is just a top

This was a Rainbow Scrap Challenge project so I made a few spools each month from 1.5 inch scraps in the color of the month.  I've been making spools for several years. 

As I made spools I kept them in little baggies separated by color so I could try to make sure I wasn't heavy on one color and light on others. 

When it came time to assemble the top I threw all of the spools into a paper grocery sack and shook and shook and shook it to separated all of those spools out of their color stacks. 

Then I reached into the sack a few times and pulled out a few handfuls at a time to sew into 29 rows 27 spools long.   And then I cut all of those rows apart and sewed them together into panels of 4 rows.   And then the yucky part...I ironed the rows twirling the seams where the spools meet so the quilt would not have little bumps at each juncture. I'd like to say that was a waste of time but it really made a difference and the top doesn't have little seam bumps now. 

This is the type of quilt I like...one with LOTS of little pieces of fabric, one that fits on a bed, one that looks sort of vintage, one that I could just look at all day and smile. 

I spy three different cupcake fabrics, some chicks, a whale, oranges, apples, tomatoes...

Getting these spools into a top was my OMG (One Monthly Goal) for November. 

So now it is time to link up with Elm Street Quilts for the Nov. Finish Party

And

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

ScrapHappy Saturday (where it all started - as an RSC project)

A Hat. How About That!

I finished yet another hat for one of the granddaughters. The granddaughters love hats and will get quite a variety from this granny for Christmas. 

This was my goal #17 

for 

Q4 Finish-A-Long 2016

Hoarder Star Shine

In my sewing room there's lots of bags and boxes of stuff.  So as not to be labeled a hoarder (and to clear a path)  I decided I had better use some of the stuff in these bags and boxes. 

This bag hold all of the long pastel strings cut from the sides of backings. I used the shorter pastel strings in a string quilt earlier in the year. These are the loooooooong strings. 

I started sewing together strings and started cutting triangles for some 6 pointed string stars.  I need 248 triangles for the quilt I have in mind. (The one like I made earlier in the year with bright long strings on navy, hand quilted and on my bed.) There may not be much variety when all is said and done but a quilt, especially a quilt with stars,  is better than a big bag of trimmings (aka tripping hazard). 

And won't those stars look just fine on this piece of floral I'm going to use for the background? Well, for now I think I'm going to use it for the background.  A girl can sometimes change her mind. 

Waste not, want not.

Making something from practically nothing. 

Using every last piece is the part of quilting I find quite satisfying. 

Don't you? 

Ad Hoc Improv Quilters

Feeling a Bit Edgy

I've been saving selvages for a few years and I've never done anything with them because I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do with them. 

If I save things and never use them then I feel like a hoarder especially when the boxes all start piling up around me.  Two boxes of selvages fell over on me when I was hunting for something else in the sewing room so I figured it was time to empty the boxes. 

I also came across a little pile of some sewing themed fabrics - also never figured out what to do with them.     So I cut the sewing themed fabrics into 4.5 inch squares to use for the center of some selvage log cabins. 

Light and dark selvages.  It takes a lot to make a 12 inch block especially since I hardly left any fabric on most of the selvages when I cut them off.  I only made four to see if I liked them. I do. So I see a big selvage quilt in my future. 

Anything goes...civil war meets 30s meets novelties and florals. 

There's a certain satisfaction that comes with using every little bit, wasting nothing, and making something useful. 

Waste not, want not. 

The really little itty bits of fabric go into my mulch and/or compost piles. 

Linking to other scrappy places: 

Oh, Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework
Ad Hoc Improv Quilters

Filling in the Holes with Black Scraps

2 - 8 inch Depression Blocks

2 - 4 inch blocks - broken dishes and pinwheel for the 4 inch units pile

Whole bunch - triangle units for pyramid quilt

November and December are catch up months for Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects.  I looked at my 2.5 inch scraps and decided to fill in some holes in a few projects with black blocks and units.

Other than that I'm working on assembling a couple of other RSC projects - Twinklers and Spools. 

ScrapHappy Saturday 

Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

 Kaleidoscope of Butterflies

80 x 80

Machine quilted on my DSM

It was too windy to hang on the line for a photo shoot so I had to make use of the deck. 

Blocks were 10 inch and each contained a butterfly and floral fabric. 

I used some dark blue floral scraps for the corners. 

And I alternated blocks with light wedges in the corners and dark wedges in the corner.  But sometimes it was difficult to decide which fabric was lighter and which was the darker. 

The reason I wanted to alternate light and dark is because sometimes it gives the appearance of circles within the quilt.  Not so much in my quilt but I do see some. 

I used a large piece of butterfly fabric I had in my stash for the back and a multi-floral for the binding.  I quilted it with some 3 petaled flowers and loops and used dark gray thread on top and lighter gray in the bobbin. 

And that's a wrap!

Oh, and did you know that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope? It is! 

This was my goal #9 

for 

Q4 Finish-A-Long 2016

Linking to:
Can I Get A Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Seeing Stars

I need two more stars for my Triangle Stars quilt that I've been working on each month as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.   November and December are scrapper's choice so I looked through the finished stars to see what backgrounds I should add and decided on a couple of blue backgrounds from what I had in my chunky scrap bin.   Then I looked through my scraps and decided on a black/white and a green star. 

These stars finish at 18 3/4 inches and I'm using the template from AllPeopleQuilt. 

And now I have 12 stars and can move forward getting a quilt top assembled! 

Grab Bags

I just completed two "Grab Bags" for Christmas gifts for the granddaughters.  They are pre-teens (one turned 12 on Halloween and the other will be 12 on Dec. 7) and suddenly have abandoned their somewhat Bohemian style for the Goth look. I think that style is called something else now but just the same the color black dominates in their clothing choices and accessories.  Maybe they played with too many of those hideous Monster High dolls after ditching Barbie a few years back. Who knows? I just go with the flow.   They are still the same giggly girls with good grades and good manners I've always known.  They just look a little less colorful. 

I made these Grab Bags from some glow in the dark skull fabric and used the free pattern at AllPeopleQuilt.  Hopefully they fit into their "style". 

For the lining I used some black cat fabric and made pockets out of some spiderweb and eyeball fabric.  Kind of creepy, I know. 

You close them up by putting the side with the longer handle through the shorter handle.  

Of course I had to label my work but didn't figure a "made for you with love by grandma" label would be too cool. So I made up my own label or is it my brand name? - "Cat's Meow"...get it? My name is Cathy (husband calls me Cat) and these Grab Bags made by me are definitely The Cat's Meow! (Corny, I know, but I think the girls will get it kick out of it). 

I experimented with making the labels. First I used 100% polyester twill tape but the ink smeared too much on them.  Then I found this 100% cotton twill tape and it worked a lot better. I was digging around for some pens in my scrap booking stuff and found this little cat stamp and decided to try it too for a little fun.  My ink pad was dried up so had to buy a new one but that's okay because I think I see more Cat's Meow labels in my future. 

These two Grab Bags were goals 24 and 25

for Q4 Finish-A-Long 2016. 

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Moving it Forward Monday at Em's Scrapbag

Bag It! at Elm' Street Quilts

Oh, Feathers!

I finally decided what to quilt between my feathers which are quilted with perle #8...feathers! 

I had some spools of Coats and Clarks hand quilting thread left over from my Pickle Dish quilt that was close in color to the feathers in the fabric so decided to use it. 

I had originally tried quilting some straight lines but didn't like how they looked so ripped out those stitches and started on the feathers.  I like how they look. 

I'm using this stencil and a mechanical pencil for marking. 

Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

Feathers in the quilt were made with lots of leftover strings mostly cut from the sides of quilt backings. 

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework. 

If You Can't Lick 'Em; Join 'Em

Postage Stamps

Does anyone actually remember licking the non-fabric version to get them to stick to an envelope? 

Anyway, this is the fabric version of postage stamps so I'm joining them and not licking them.  I finished up more 10 inch blocks for my collection bringing me to a total of 26 out of the 36 I think I need.   No problem to make 10 more blocks - that's only 6,000 more postage stamps!! They are joined with muslin strips and were inspired by a vintage quilt.  

There will be sashing too since the vintage had sashing.  I think I may have enough of the yellow plaid to use.  If not I'll substitute some other yellow plaid in places.  

I also made 3 more brown/tan/cream postage stamp blocks for my "Plain Brown Wrapper" quilt. 

These blocks put a dent in my postage stamp supply. Most of what is left is multi-color florals, black/gray and neutrals. 

These postage stamp blocks were all started as Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects a couple of years ago.  It may be another couple of years before they become quilts but who's in a hurry?

 I like joining 'em. 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge ScrapHappy Saturday

Veteran's Day - Thank You For Your Service

Veteran's Day

This year I surprised some family members who are Veteran's with quilts.  

They have all received them now and they were all surprised. 

If you are a Veteran...thank you for your service! 

Climb Jacob's Ladder to Reach the Wild Kingdom

Wild Kingdom

48 x 60

This will go into an emergency/survival car kit for one of my kid's for Christmas.  I'm making a kit for each of my adult children to keep in their rickety old cars.  (You can find lots of suggestions on-line on what to include in the kits.) 

I've made quilts in the past with the Jacob's Ladder block. I love all the secondary patterns. Sometimes you can see X, sometimes diamonds, sometimes stars. 

I started making these blocks a long time ago to use up some of the HSTs and 4 patches I had in the "parts department".   I picked out ones that had animals and some jungle type foliage or were just plain ugly.   Dogs, monkeys, elephants, flamingos, rhinos, cats, ants, giraffes, fox...they are all there in the Wild Kingdom. 

Unfortunately, after I assembled about 6 blocks I decided I hated them. Why? Because the values were all over the place.  I guess that shows me the value of value when making a quilt. 

But I decided no sense in keeping it a UFO and was going to make a donation quilt. Then I came up with the idea to make the emergency/survival car kits for Christmas (for my adult children who are never prepared and don't even wear a proper winter coat on the coldest of winter days) and thought if a quilt was going to be hidden away in a rickety old car might as well include the ugly ones in the kits. 

I used an old flannel sheet (aka stray thread magnet) for the backing and quilted it on my DSM with some diagonal lines using brown thread in the bobbin and neutral thread on top.   I had more than enough black binding in the leftover bindings box (strange since I don't remember binding anything in black) to complete the quilt.  

This was my goal #8    for    Q4 Finish-A-Long

Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework